The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to medical imaging systems, and more particularly to radiation detection systems.
In nuclear medicine (NM) imaging, such as single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) or positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, radiopharmaceuticals are administered internally to a patient. Detectors (e.g., gamma cameras, X-Ray cameras, and detectors and cameras for ionizing radiation), typically installed on a gantry, capture the radiation emitted by the radiopharmaceuticals and this information is used, by a computer, to form images. The NM images primarily show physiological function of, for example, the patient or a portion of the patient being imaged. Smaller pixel sizes may be utilized to improve energy and/or spatial resolution. Use of a larger number of smaller pixels, however, results in a larger number of signals to be acquired and processed, increasing the size and expense of the associated electronics. As pixel size becomes smaller, practical limits of board sizes may be reached or exceeded. Such board-size limitations may occur in Z-assembly when an electronic board, including electronic-chips (e.g., Memories, FPGA's, or ASIC's), is attached directly, by interconnections, onto a semiconductor radiation-detector. The board should not exceed the detector size. For example, as electronic chips, such as ASIC's, become larger to be able to process larger number of electronic-signals, stresses and strains due to thermal expansion between electronics and a substrate may result in increased failures of electronics.